


Need Like a Wolf

by Triskel_Samulet



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dark, Alternate Universe - Human, Dark Stiles Stilinski, Dead Lydia Martin, Dead Sheriff Stilinski, Deputy Stiles Stilinski, Emotional Manipulation, First Kiss, Librarian Derek, M/M, Minor Character Death, Murder Husbands, Panic Attacks, Rape/Non-con Elements, Secret Admirer, Tags Contain Spoilers, no actual rape
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:54:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26586211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Triskel_Samulet/pseuds/Triskel_Samulet
Summary: “Is it love, obsession, infatuation? You don't know. You think of a strange and beautiful word you read about once, Limerance, a psychological term, meaning an obsessive love, a state that's almost like a drug. Need like a wolf paces the perimeter of your world, back and forth, back and forth, never letting up. ...You're appalled by the new appetites within you, kicking their feet and clawing to get out.” - Nikki GemmellDerek is content living the life of a reclusive librarian, but then a new deputy comes to town and catches his eye and he has caught the eye of an obsessed admirer. Will Derek get his happily ever after, of will the admirer get in the way?
Relationships: Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Past Derek Hale/Paige - Relationship, past Derek Hale/Jennifer Blake, past Derek Hale/Kate Argent
Comments: 26
Kudos: 74





	1. Secret Admirer

Derek was content with his life. No, really, he was. He had a great job at the library, weekly dinners with his family, and everyone else knew to keep a wide berth. It’s not that Derek didn’t like people, he just wasn’t good with them. He used to be great with people, but his last three relationships all ended horrible and it has affected how he interacts with others. He is generally distrustful and therefore short with people.

Every once and a while someone will come to the library to try and flirt with him, but he would always find a way to extract himself from those conversations. Thankfully his co-workers have learned Derek’s tells and will get him out of uncomfortable situations.

“Hey, Derek, this just came for you.” Erica said before handing him an envelope. Erica was by far his favorite co-worker. She always came to his rescue but would completely leave him alone the rest of the time. Sometimes she would get a little too enthusiastic about helping him out and had convinced many people they were dating, but her methods worked, so he wasn’t going to question it.

Derek examined the outside of the envelope. All it said was his name in big block letters on the front, no indication of who sent it. He turned it over, opened it, and unfolded the letter inside. It said:

> _“Extinguish my eyes, I'll go on seeing you._   
>  _Seal my ears, I'll go on hearing you._   
>  _And without feet I can make my way to you,_   
>  _without a mouth I can swear your name._   
>    
>  _Break off my arms, I'll take hold of you_   
>  _with my heart as with a hand._   
>  _Stop my heart, and my brain will start to beat._   
>  _And if you consume my brain with fire,_   
>  _I'll feel you burn in every drop of my blood.”_

This was a strange poem choice to send to him anonymously. He didn’t even think Rainer Maria Rilke was that popular of a poet. He put the letter back into the envelope, shoved it into his back pocket, and sighed. Now there was someone else He was either going to avoid or Erica would have to scare off.

He turned to his task of organizing the returned book on his cart so he could start re-shelving. This was his favorite job since it required the least interaction with others. Sometimes he would have to answer patron questions, but most of the time they left him alone.

After filling his cart, he moved it out of the back room and into the stacks, smiling politely to the patrons he passed. He finally made it to the shelves he planned on shelving when he noticed a young man he had never seen before looking intently at the books as if they had somehow personally offended them. He had short, brown hair and pale skin that was covered in moles. Derek had to admit, he was quite attractive.

“Can I help you find something, sir?” Derek asked. This was the first time in a long time that he approached someone instead of letting them come to him.

The guy looked over at him and did a double take before giving him a once over.

“Um… ah…” The guy stammered, “Yeah, my friend recommended this book, but I can’t seem to find it.” He passed Derek a piece of paper with the book’s information on it.

“You are in luck. It was just returned and is on my cart.” Derek bent down to get it, maybe a little bit more than necessary, but his flirting skills were a little rusty. When he got back up and handed the book to the man, he noticed a blush on the other man’s cheeks and a hungry look in his eyes. “I’m Derek, by the way.”

“Stiles.” The other man said.

“Is that even a name?”

“A nickname. My real name is unpronounceable, so I go by Stiles.”

“I haven’t seen you around before. Are you new in town?” Derek asked.

“I just transferred to the sheriff’s station about a month ago.” A smirk started taking over Stiles’ face, “You know, I’ve been looking for someone to show me around town.”

“Well, how about I show you my favorite diner? Say, around seven tomorrow?” Derek asked. Even though he figured the question was welcome, he was still nervous. It had been years since he had asked anyone out and he wanted it to go well.

“I’d like that.” Stiles took out a pen and wrote on the opposite side on the paper with the book information and handed it to Derek, “Here’s my number. Text me the details for the date.”

Stiles left to check out his book and Derek went back to shelving the books with a spring in his step and a smile on his face. When he returned to restock his cart, Erica gave him a weird look.

“Who are you and what have you done to Derek?” She asked.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You look like you have sun shining out of your ass.”

“I have a date tomorrow night.” He admitted. Erica’s face lit up and she gave him a big hug. Before letting him go, she gave him a kiss on the cheek.

“I’m so happy for you. I’m glad you finally found someone who can put a smile on that grouchy face.” Derek could see the sincerity on Erica’s face. They may not hang out that much (or at all) outside of work, but she was the closest thing he had to a friend. It was nice to see someone outside of his family genuinely care about him.

Outside of the library, a shadowed figure looked in the window and saw the intimate exchange between the two librarians. A powerful cocktail of emotions boiled under the surface as resolve hardened to do what needed to be done.

The next day, Derek agonized over what to wear to work. He knew he wouldn’t have time to go home between work and the date, so he had to get ready for it now. He put a comb and some hair products in his car, hoping Erica could help him do something with his hair before meeting Stiles at the diner. However, when he arrived, he didn’t see Erica’s car in the parking lot. That wasn’t too strange. Sometimes her fiancé, Boyd would drop her off on his way to work if their schedules lined up or if one of their cars was in the shop.

He reached for the door but found it was locked. This was the first time in a long time that he was actually here before Erica. He got his keys out and opened the door, turning on the lights on his way to the main desk. When he got there, he saw another envelope with his name on it.

He opened it up and read the contents:

> _“The first time I saw you, my heart fell. The second time I saw you, my heart fell. The third time fourth time fifth time and every time since, my heart has fallen… When I see you the World stops. It stops and all that exists for me is you and my eyes staring at you. There's nothing else. No noise, no other people, no thoughts or worries, no yesterday, no tomorrow. The World just stops and it is a beautiful place and there is only you. Just you, and my eyes staring at you… When you're gone, the World starts again, and I don't like it as much. I can live in it, but I don't like it. I just walk around in it and wait to see you again and wait for it to stop again. I love it when it stops. It's the best fucking thing I've ever known or ever felt, the best thing, and that is why I stare at you.”_

James Frey. Seems like his admirer really liked to read. Although this must have been left after the library was already closed, which was worrisome. The quotes chosen were also cause for concern. Maybe he should show the letters to Stiles. He worked at the sheriff station and probably would have advice on how to deal with this secret admirer.

After about an hour of working the front counter by himself, he picked up the phone and called Erica, but there was no answer. He decided to call Liam. He was the youngest worker and was always looking to pick up hours so he could pay off his student loans quicker.

Liam showed up shortly thereafter and Derek left him to the front desk as he went to hide in the stacks, shelving the returned books. Before he knew it, his shift was over, and he was on his way to meet Stiles at the diner.

When he arrived at the restaurant, he pulled down the visor in his car to check his hair. The major downside to Erica not being at work was she couldn’t give her stamp of approval on his date look. He decided it was as good as it was going to get, and he went inside. Stiles was already there in his deputy uniform.

Derek had been worried that the date would be awkward, but it wasn’t. It turned out Stiles loved to talk, so he had no problem filling the silences when Derek didn’t know what to say. He felt at ease with Stiles in a way he hadn’t felt with anyone.

Towards the end of the night, Derek said, “I have something to ask you, professionally.” Stiles nodded for him to go on and Derek pulled out the letters, “Yesterday, when I got to work there was a note waiting for me. There was one today, too, despite the fact that it would have been left after hours. The messages also seem more intense than a normal admirer. Is there a way to figure out who it is and dissuade them?”

Stiles looked at the contents of the notes, “Well, this seems like someone who reads a lot; probably someone who frequents the library both for the books and you. If you wanted, you could open an investigation, but since there isn’t any direct threat it won’t get much priority at the station. The best advice I can give is to monitor the situation and let me know if anything else happens, especially if there is an escalation.”

Derek nodded and took the notes back, “Hey, so I’m guessing you still need to see some of the Beacon Hills sights. I have Saturday off and, if you’re free, I could show you the best ice cream place in town and the best park?”

“I’d like that.” Stiles smiled. After paying the two of them walked to their cars and kissed before parting ways. Derek had a great feeling about this.


	2. Death

The next morning Derek woke up with a smile on his face. His date with Stiles went well and he had another lined up that weekend. He couldn’t wait to tell Erica all about it and if things went well on Saturday, to tell his family at Sunday dinner.

He went through his morning routine with a spring in his step and spent a little extra time in the shower with the image of Stiles on his mind and the same name on his lips. He finished cleaning himself and then got dressed for the day. He opened his front door with the thought that nothing could sour his good mood.

Well, nothing except the dead body of his only friend on his front porch. She looked so pale and she was covered in blood; the stench of it was palpable. A coppery ting he could not escape from. There was an envelope on top of her body with his name written on it in the same handwriting as the previous two notes.

Instead of reading the note, Derek called the sheriff’s station and then called Stiles. He didn’t know if the other man was working right now or not but figured he would want to be informed either way. His call went directly to voicemail, so either Stiles was sleeping or working. He hoped Stiles was one of the deputies to show up.

Thankfully, Stiles and his partner, a man named Jordan Parish, were the first to arrive on scene.

“Derek?” Stiles asked in shock, “You called this in? This is your house?” All Derek could do was nod in response. Parish went to check out the body while Stiles took Derek inside and sat him on the couch.

“Did you hear anything last night?” Derek shook his head. “Did you touch the body at all?” Another shake of the head.

Parish came into the living room with the note and an extra pair of gloves, “Put these on and then open the note. The contents were meant for you and you might have insight on whatever it says.”

Derek nodded again and put the gloves on before taking the envelope and opening it. The contents said:

> _“I have little left in myself -- I must have you. The world may laugh -- may call me absurd, selfish -- but it does not signify. My very soul demands you: it will be satisfied, or it will take deadly vengeance on its frame.”_

Jane Eyre. Another book quote showing his stalkers obsession. But why kill Erica? She was engaged to Boyd. She and Derek were only friends, work friends! She posed no threat. He told Stiles and Parish as much.

At that point, Derek looked over at Stiles, “This stalker probably sees you as a threat. If he or she did this to Erica when she was only a friend, what would they do if they found out we are seeing each other?”

Stiles grabbed Derek’s hand and gave it a soft squeeze, “I’m a cop and the son of a former sheriff. I can take care of myself. If it makes you feel better, we can put patrols on my house, too.”

Derek nodded yet again. That seemed to be all he was able to do at the moment.

“Has anyone called her family, yet? Her fiancé?” Derek asked. He wasn’t close to Boyd at all, but he would see him and talk to him the few times he visited Erica at work. He was a nice guy; quiet and stoic. Boyd never showed what he was thinking or feeling, but this news would probably break him.

“Not yet.” Stiles replied, “When we get her back to the station, we’ll call them in to officially ID the body.” Derek nodded again. “With what happened, you obviously aren’t going to work today. Why don’t you go spend the day with your family? I get off work around three this afternoon and then we can spend some time together. Either process through this shit or create distractions. Does that sound good?” Another nod from Derek.

By the time everyone cleared out, it had been about two hours. There was still crime scene tape everywhere and evidence markers. To get to his car, he had to go out the back door and go around his house. When he did get to his car, he took out his phone and called his boss to let her know the situation. She made the decision to shut down the library for the day and gave him the rest of the week off. He decided not to call his parents before showing up. They were both retired, so he knew they would be home.

When he pulled up to the old house in the middle of the preserve, he found his parents sitting on the front porch together doing the crossword.

“Derek, dear, what a pleasant surprise!” His mom said, “But I thought you were working today.”

“I was… I mean I was supposed to… I never made it in to work.”

“What happened?” His dad asked, a concerned look crossing his face.

In that moment it all came pouring out. The notes, the fact that the stalker would have had to break into the library to leave them, his friendship with Erica, and how that friendship lead to her death. The one thing he left out was his budding relationship with the deputy working his case. For some reason it didn’t seem like the right time to be sharing that news.

His parents took him inside, got him settled on the couch, and made him some tea. His mom settled onto the couch with him and he snuggled into her. The last time he did this was when he was a child and just like she did then, she sang him a lullaby and he drifted off to sleep in her arms.

He woke up around noon and had lunch with his parents. Laura also stopped by on her lunch break, apparently hearing about the murder from their parents. She didn’t mention it at all, but Derek could tell she knew.

Around three o’clock Derek still wasn’t ready to go home, so he texted Stiles to meet him at the ice cream shop. He told his parents that he was meeting up with one of the deputies on the case, which was technically true. They offered to go with him for moral support, but Derek managed to deter them by saying he didn’t want them to hear or see any of the gory details of what happened. They let him go without much fuss but encouraged him to come over whenever he wanted and that his room was always available to him. He honestly was considering their offer. He didn’t like the idea that his stalker knew where he lived, and he would be alone if they came. He knew there would be deputies outside, but there were still ways the stalker could slip past.

Derek shook these thoughts away as he pulled up to the ice cream shop. In the parking lot he noticed a junkie, blue jeep. The thing stuck out like a sore thumb but had a certain charm. The owner probably had a lot of confidence to drive a thing like that around. It was then that he noticed the driver was still in the car; Stiles. He should have known it was Stiles’ car, the thing was just as bold and stunning as he was. The man was biting his lip and looking at something on his phone. The sight of him brought a smile to Derek’s lips and his heart started beating faster.

He pulled into a parking spot and walked over and tapped on Stiles’ window. The other man beamed at him and moved to get out of the car. He ended up getting out in the weirdest way possible; contorting his body so both his legs and his head came out the door at the same time. It was a wonder he didn’t hit his head.

“You are ridiculous.” Derek laughed.

“You love it.” Stiles smirked and while it was too soon to use the “L word”, Derek did love how ridiculous and confident Stiles was. It drew Derek in in a way he had never experienced before.

They went inside and selected their ice cream. Stiles chose Reese’s and Derek chose vanilla. Stiles jokingly mocked him for his boring choice, but Derek didn’t mind. They went to a nearby park and walked around. They ended up sitting on a park bench and talking about everything and nothing. Stiles ice cream ended up melting. Derek’s eyes were transfixed on Stiles’ fingers as he sucked the ice cream off each individual finger. Stiles looked over and his expression darken. His sucking became more obscene as it became obvious what he was mimicking.

“We should get out of here.” Derek stated.

Stiles looked down and smirked, “Why don’t you follow me to mine? I can image you don’t really want to go home at the moment.”

Derek nodded and they went to their cars. However, when he got to his car he noticed a note on his windshield. Mood officially ruined, he called Stiles over. They found a pair of gloves in Stiles’ car and they opened the note which read:

> _“This isn't a crush, it's obsession. You are never not in my thoughts. Your scent carries across a room and paralyzes me with longing. I don't want to hold your hand. Part of me wants to set you on fire and hold you while the flame consumes us both, to eat your heart so I know that only I possess it entirely.”_

“This is a threat, right?” Derek asked, “It sounds like a threat to me.”

“Don’t panic.” Stiles said while fumbling with his keys, “Here’s what we’re going to do: you are going to take these keys and go to my place. With any luck, the admirer doesn’t know about me and if he does, he doesn’t know where I live. I’m going to go drop this off at the station, give them my statement and tell them you’ll be staying with me so they can adjust patrols accordingly, okay?”

Derek nodded, taking the keys from Stiles, “Hurry back.”

The two of them got in their cars and went their separate ways. His heart was racing. How could his stalker not know about Stiles? He left a note during their date! He wasn’t safe. Stiles wasn’t safe! By the time he pulled up in front of the address Stiles texted him he was having a full-blown panic attack. He didn’t know how much time passed before he was being pulled out of the car. He tried to focus, but everything was blurry around the edges.

Next thing he knew there was a pressure on his lips. He took a sharp intake of breath and suddenly the pressure was gone, and Stiles was squatting in front of him.

“Thank you.” He managed to say.

“Anytime. Now let’s get you inside before you draw any unwanted attention.” Derek quickly followed Stiles inside, the fear of his stalker driving him forward. “I gave you my house keys. I need them to get us inside.” Derek searched his pockets and found the one he put the keys in when he was in his haze. Stiles took them and opened the door. The house was simple, almost as if it was a pre-furnished rental.

“Why don’t you take a seat and I’ll make you a cup of tea. You’ve had a rough day.” Derek didn’t have it in him to argue. He followed the suggestion on autopilot and drank the tea in the same manner.

“I know it’s early, but you’re probably tired. Do you want to go to bed?” Stiles asked.

“Only if you come with me.” Derek responded.

“I think I can arrange that.” Stiles leaned in and kissed Derek and just like that the hunger from early was back. Derek lost himself in the sensation of Stiles. He barely noticed when they stood and started moving. While he didn’t register the removal of clothes, he did appreciate the new skin to skin contact. The next sensation was a soft mattress at his back and then everything went black.


	3. Jennifer Blake

The next morning, Derek woke up in a haze in a room he didn’t recognize. The unknown environment snapped him awake quickly. He looked wildly around for his phone, finding it on the nightstand next to a note. He picked up the note first, which read:

> _Derek, sorry I couldn’t be here when you woke up, but I had to go in to work. Jordan called and said he might have a lead on your case. Feel free to take anything you want from the kitchen I should be home around three._ _“There is nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends. I have no notion of loving people by halves, it is not my nature.” – Love, Stiles_

Derek smiled; the events of the previous night came flooding back. He was upset that he was robbed of the chance to wake up next to Stiles, but hopefully more opportunities would come up. It would be great if those future times weren’t clouded by the stalker/murderer.

Much calmer now, Derek grabbed his phone and found it cluttered with notifications from… a day ago? That didn’t make any sense, he had only been asleep a few hours. He checked the date on his phone and realized he was missing an entire day! He went to his contacts and hit Stiles’ name.

“Come on. Pick up, pick up, pick up.” Derek mumbled.

“Derek, what’s wrong? Is everything okay?” Came Stiles’ panicked voice.

“I’m missing an entire day! What happened?” Derek asked.

“I don’t know. I’ve been at the station for over twenty-four hours on a man hunt.” Stiles responded, “You mean this is the first time you’ve woken up?”

“Yes!”

“Okay. Jordan and I are going to head over there to see if everything is alright. We have a lead on the admirer and it’s possible she’s already there. There’s a gun in the nightstand drawer. Do you know how to shoot?”

“Um, yeah. I’ve been to the range a few times.”

“Good. Take the gun. Only leave the bedroom if you need to. I’ll be there soon.” Stiles hung up and Derek was left alone, or hopefully alone.

He took the gun out of the nightstand and got out of bed. He wasn’t just going to sit around for Stiles to come to his rescue. He removed the safety and slowly opened the closet to find it empty. He moved to the door and opened it slowly. He saw a figure on the other end of the hallway.

“Who’s there?” Derek said, “Put your hands up. The police are on their way.”

The woman turned around and Derek was in shock. Jennifer Blake, or should he say Julia whatever her real last name was. The last time he saw her was five years ago when he found out she wasn’t who she said she was, and he dumped her.

“It’s you.” He stated.

“Der-“ Was all she managed to get out before a shot rang out and she was on the ground. He didn’t even remember placing his finger on the trigger.

He collapsed onto the floor as Jennifer, no Julia’s blood spread on the floor, inching toward him. Her blood was a bright red that stood out against the white interior of Stiles’ home. The color of purity and innocence taken over by the color of corruption and seduction.

The sound of the front door opening echoed through the silence of the near empty house, but it barely registered to Derek. There were foot falls and shouting and hands on his face, but all Derek could focus on was red. People came and took ~~Jennifer~~ Julia away, but he still did not move. The next thing he knew, he was being placed on a gurney and an oxygen mask was placed over his mouth. There was a hand holding his and it didn’t let go through all of it. Eventually, when he finally came back to himself, the first thing he saw was-

“Stiles.”

“Oh, thank god!” Stiles exclaimed before jumping on him and giving him the biggest hug, “I was so worried when you wouldn’t respond to anything.”

“I’m fine.” Derek insisted, “What happened to Jennifer?”

“Who?”

“Julia, or whatever. The woman I shot.”

“She was our leading suspect for the admirer, but that can be neither confirmed nor denied now.” Stiles grimaced, “She bled out before we got there. It was a slow, painful death.”

Something still wasn’t sitting right with Derek. Sure, their relationship ended on bad terms, but there was no reason for her to leave the notes or to kill Erica. She was a con artist and there was nothing for her to gain from this. It simply was not her style.

“Why was she at your house?” Derek asked.

“Presumably for you.” Stiles answered, “If it’s okay with you, the doctors are going to do some blood work to see if you were drugged and if so, what was used. We would also like to do a rape kit. It’s likely that if she did go through all this trouble to get to you, that could have been her end goal, or at least part of it.”

Derek nodded, “Do what you need to do.”

The doctors took the blood and then Stiles left the room so the kit could be done in private. He was told it didn’t look like she had raped him, but they completed the kit just to be sure. When all of that was done, Stiles drove Derek to the station to get his official statement. On the way there he called his parents to inform them about what happened and why they hadn’t been able to reach him.

“I killed her.” Derek stated after he gave his statement, “What happens now?”

“Well, the DA is going to look at your case and the evidence. If they decide to take it to trial, you have a clear self defense case. You’re going to be okay, Derek.” Stiles tried to reassure him, but Derek didn’t feel very reassured. He just killed someone. Not just someone, he killed his ex-girlfriend!

He could feel the fringes of a panic attack coming, but thankfully his parent came rushing through the station doors and enveloped him in a hug.

“You are staying with us tonight, that is non-negotiable,” his mother started, “I would hope you’d also stay with us until we know for sure she was the one causing these problems.”

“No arguments from me, mom.” Derek said before burring himself in his mother’s embrace again.

None of them noticed the steely look that took over Stiles’ face. A look that spoke of the displeasure of having Derek anywhere but with him. He quickly hid it away before any of the Hales could notice anything amiss. Derek would be his one way or another.


	4. Sheriff, Scott, and Lydia

Derek’s parents drove him to his home to pick up a few things before settling into his parent’s home. When he got to his room to pack, he found a note sitting on top of his dresser. This time there was no envelope, just an open letter, face up that read:

> _“Anger is just anger. It isn't good. It isn't bad. It just is. What you do with it is what matters. It's like anything else. You can use it to build or to destroy. You just have to make the choice."  
>   
>  “Constructive anger," the demon said, her voice dripping sarcasm.   
>   
> “Also known as passion," I said quietly. "Passion has overthrown tyrants and freed prisoners and slaves. Passion has brought justice where there was savagery. Passion has created freedom where there was nothing but fear. Passion has helped souls rise from the ashes of their horrible lives and build something better, stronger, more beautiful.”_

This note seemed different to Derek. It seemed like an explanation, almost. The stalker maybe wasn’t so much a stalker as someone who wanted to protect Derek. But that couldn’t be true because it was Jennifer the whole time, right? She wouldn’t go through all that trouble to keep Derek safe. Unless this was the admirers was of saying that Jennifer was not the person behind all of this.

“Derek? Is everything alright, dear?” He heard his mother call from the hallway.

“Yeah. Just got a little distracted.” Derek called back. He pocketed the note and quickly packed up his things from his dresser and the bathroom. He also grabbed a few of his favorite books. “Alright, I’m ready to go.” He said as he walked back to the living room, holding his duffle bag.

When they got to the house, Derek excused himself to his room, stating he needed time to get settled in. He placed the note on top of the dresser and started unpacking his things as he thought about what his admirer had written to him.

Constructive anger. It was an interesting concept. While Derek didn’t like to admit it, he did have a lot of anger. Anger about what he did to his first girlfriend, Paige, anger about what Kate did to him, and anger over what Jennifer tried to do. He had always tried to push the anger down; ignore it. Letting it fester wouldn’t help anything, so he tried to move on. But he realized now that while he had tried to ignore it, the anger had been silently festering beneath the surface. Seeing Jennifer again made that perfectly clear, but he now had closure where she was concerned. She would never be able to come for him again. He knew she couldn’t possibly be the admirer, but the admirer gave her as a gift to Derek, so that he could make his anger constructive. Now that con woman would never be able to hurt anyone ever again and it was all thanks to Derek. The admirer’s passion had started to free Derek, and he rather liked it.

He heard the doorbell ring, but ignored it and continued unpacking, knowing one of his parents would get it.

“Derek, there’s someone here to see you!” His dad’s voice echoed up the stairs.

Derek went down the stairs and saw an unknown man standing in the doorway. He had tan skin, dark hair, and a crooked jaw.

“Hi, I’m Derek,” He introduced himself, “Who are you?”

“My name is Scott McCall. Can we talk on the porch?” Derek nodded and they moved and took the seats on the porch, “It’s come to my attention that my brother is here and that you two have become… close.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t know any McCall’s.” Derek was confused as to what was going on.

“Sorry, I forgot to clarify. He’s my adoptive brother, Stiles Stilinski.”

“I don’t see how my relationship with Stiles is cause for concern.”

“Stiles has a… complicated past.” It was clear Scott was struggling for the right words, “When he was a kid, his dad, the sheriff, he was killed by some escaped convicts. Stiles managed to hide in the closet, but it was bloody, and he saw the whole thing. After that he came to live with my mom and I, but he was never the same after that. He was obsessed with this girl in our class, Lydia Martin, he had this whole ten-year plan to woo her and everything. She ended up disappearing when we were in high school and he didn’t care that she was gone. A year later her mangled body was found and again, there was no emotional response from him. He’s just off and I thought you should be aware.”

Derek let this information wash over him. He could appreciate the sibling concern, but why was he concerned for Derek instead of giving him the shovel talk? There was something off about Scott.

“Look, I appreciate your concern, but I think if something was off, he never would have been able to become a deputy.” Scott gave him a defeated look.

“Here’s my number. Call me if he shows you who he really is. I just want to get him the help he needs.” And Derek believed him. Scott really was just a concerned brother, but his concern was misplaced. Stiles was perfect just the way he was.

“Well, thanks for coming out.” Derek said, unsure, “It was nice meeting a member of Stiles’ family, no matter how unconventional the meeting was.

Scott nodded and then moved to his motorcycle. He gave Derek one last kicked puppy look before getting on the bike and driving away. Derek tried to shake off what Scott told him, but it wouldn’t leave his head. He went through dinner in a daze. When his parents asked who the man at the door was, he gave them vague answers about him being Stiles brother.

Later that night, Derek looked at the note that was left in his home. It was the only note in his possession, since the police took the other notes as evidence. He tried to remember the quotes on the other notes and tried to make sense of them. At this point, he truly did believe it was an admirer, not a stalker, but he didn’t know how Stiles fit into all this, if at all.

Just then, there was a scraping and rustling noise outside his window, which was weird since he was on the second floor. He went to open the window and found Stiles climbing onto the tree branch just outside his window.

“Stiles! What are you doing here?” Derek whispered, not wanting to wake up his parents.

“I wanted to see you but didn’t want to bother your parents.” Stiles explained.

Derek helped Stiles inside before asking, “Why didn’t you just text me? I would have let you in the front door. That would have saved you so much trouble!”

“You’re worth the trouble.” Stiles smiled before pulling Derek in for a sweet kiss. Well… it started off sweet but quickly turned heated. Shirts were soon shed and they fell onto the bed. Stiles’ mouth was hitting all Derek’s sweet spots and he couldn’t hold back his moan. Thankfully this time, Derek didn’t pass out and was able to enjoy the night with Stiles.

The next morning, Derek rolled over and tucked Stiles into his side, a smile on his face.

“Mmm, good morning.” Stiles mumbled.

Derek kissed the top of his head, “Good morning, love.”

Stiles shot up and looked over at Derek, “Did you just call me love?”

“I did.”

“As in you love me.”

“Yup.” Derek smirked.

“Good. I love you, too.” Stiles snuggled back into Derek’s side, dopey smiles on both their faces.

“Derek, breakfast!” His mom called through the door, “Tell your deputy friend he can join us as well.” Derek and Stiles exchanged mortified looks before bursting into laughter. Derek had never been happier than he was in that moment.


	5. Meet the Parents

Derek and Stiles got dressed before heading down to breakfast. Stiles had to borrow some clothes from Derek because his got dirty during his climb up the tree and there was no way he was officially meeting the Hales like that. Derek could tell Stiles was nervous, so he took his boyfriend’s hand and gave it a squeeze before kissing his forehead.

“It’s going to be okay. They’ll love you, just like I do.” Derek reassured

“We haven’t even been dating a week, yet. They might see it as a red flag that we’ve already spent the night together, twice.”

“Trust me. Compared to my past relationships, you are a saint.”

They walked down the stairs and into the eat-in kitchen where Mom was finishing up breakfast and Dad was setting the table.

“Good morning.” Derek greeted, “I’d like both of you to officially meet Stiles. He’s one of the deputies on my case and also my boyfriend. We went on our first date shortly before all of this happened.”

“Hello, Stiles. Give us one good reason why we should trust our son with the man whose house Derek was drugged in?” Derek was shocked his mom would be that blunt.

“Because I love your son and will do whatever I need to do in order to protect him.” Stiles answered without missing a beat. Derek looked at him in awe. He had never had someone care that much for him (except maybe the admirer, but Derek was trying not to think about that at the moment).

After that, breakfast went smoothly. Derek had been a bit worried since Stiles was the first man he had actually dated, but he shouldn’t have been nervous since they were supportive when he came out as bisexual. The point was, Stiles was winning over his parents and soon enough they would love him to. Derek had never been happier.

“I should head to the library today,” Derek stated, “Figure out what scheduling looks like without Erica.”

“I can drive you to my place. Your car is still there, and I have to get changed for work.” Stiles offered.

Stiles gathered his dirty clothes and they said goodbye to Derek’s parents.

“You picked a good one.” His mom whispered in his ear as he hugged her goodbye. Derek smiled at her and followed Stiles to his car.

“That went well.” Stiles smirked as they exited the driveway.

“I knew they’d like you.” Derek responded, “You’re the best person I’ve dated. So caring, so attentive.” Derek placed a hand on Stiles’ thigh.

They ended up detouring to a secluded spot in the preserve. When they finally got back to Stiles’ house, he was muttering about being late for work.

“Do you regret stopping?” Derek asked.

“Never.” Stiles pulled him in for a kiss. As soon as it turned heated, Derek pulled away.

“You can’t be later than you already are.” Derek reasoned after Stiles whined in protest, “We can continue this tonight.”

“Mmm, promise?”

“Promise.” Derek gave him a quick peck before pushing him out the door. Derek grabbed his keys off the end table and got in the camaro.

The library was busier than usual, but considering it was Saturday (the day he was going to have his second date with Stiles, but that had been pushed up due to current circumstances, Derek reminded himself) it wasn’t too strange. Maybe it just seemed busier since they were down two employees at the moment. Being there reminded Derek so much of Erica. It made him wonder why his admirer went after her. After all, Erica was engaged and therefore was not a romantic threat in any way. It was the piece of the puzzle that didn’t quite fit.

He moved into the back room where his boss’s office and the break room were. He looked at the schedule on the wall and saw it had been modified. His hours next week remained the same, but Liam was now taking Erica’s place as a full-time librarian and there was a note asking employees to refer qualified people to the part time position.

He knew that if his boss were to see him, she would ask how he was doing and try to psychoanalyze his current mental state. Along with her masters in library sciences, she also had a masters in psychology. He was glad to have such a well-qualified boss, but he hated how she used her knowledge to butt into people’s business. He quickly left the break room to browse the stacks. He wanted a book to keep him occupied for the rest of today and tomorrow while Stiles was working. He decided on The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde and started heading for check out when his phone rang. The screen showed it was his father calling.

“Hey, dad, what’s up?”

“Son, have you seen the news?” His dad asked.

“No, I’m still at the library. What’s going on?”

“I need you to come home right now. She’s escaped.” Derek paled and couldn’t find it in him to respond, “Derek? Derek are you there?” Derek hung up and dropped the book that was in his hands. He looked around at the people in the library, trying to see if she was there, but it was all people from town, no Kate in sight. He made a swift exit to his car and drove to the station. He needed more information on what was going on.

When he got there all he saw was chaos. It seemed like it was all hands on deck, there were phones ringing off the hook and the sheriff was trying to organize search teams. He found Stiles at his desk going through old files.

“Stiles, what… how… is it…?” Derek found he was so wound up he couldn’t complete a sentence.

“Derek!” Stiles shouted in surprise. He quickly got up and found an extra chair for Derek, “It’s true. I don’t know how much you heard, but Kate Argent did escape from prison. It looks like she had outside help. The running theory right now is that Jennifer helped her escape so they could both come after you. The one thing that isn’t public right now is that Kate has been out of prison since Monday night. They wanted to keep the investigation in house for whatever reason but all that’s done is put our manhunt behind.” Worry was painted all over Derek’s face, “It’s okay, we’ll get her. Officers have been sent to secure your parents and your sisters. She’s not getting you or your family.”

Derek nodded. It had been a long time since he had seen Kate. They started dating shortly after things with Paige ended. She was older, but he didn’t mind that. However, for her safety they had to keep their relationship a secret. Derek fell fast for Kate and would do anything she asked him to. It turned out that she was a paranoid schizophrenic who was off her medication. She was convinced that Derek and his family were monsters and she had to kill them all. One night, Kate was caught trying to douse their home with gasoline so she could burn them all. Derek was heartbroken and had to deal with his parents lecturing him about the poor choices he had made. At the trial, Kate had looked Derek straight in the eye and yelled that she would one day get out to kill his whole family in front of him and then kill him slowly. That promise has haunted his dreams ever since. He didn’t know how much of this Stiles knew, but considering he was going over old files, it probably meant he was at least mostly up to speed by now.

“Can you contact the officers with my parents and let them know I’m here?” Derek asked.

“Of course.” Stiles responded before grabbing his radio, “Why don’t you go make yourself comfortable in the break room? This is the safest place for you, so you should probably stay awhile. I’ll check on you when I can.”

Derek nodded and got up to go to the break room. He got a bag of chips from the vending machine and settled in on the couch. He was so exhausted from the emotional roller coaster the day had been that he quickly fell asleep, half eaten bag of chips in hand.

He woke up a couple hours later to Stiles partner, Parrish, shaking him awake.

“Sorry to wake you, but you’ve been asleep for a while.” Parrish said.

“Where’s Stiles?” Derek mumbled, still half asleep.

“See, that’s the problem.” Jordan said and Derek was fully awake now, “He got a lead on Kate, but because of how thin we’re spread he went alone. Didn’t tell anyone where he was going either.” Derek could tell Jordan hated to be the bearer of bad news.

“My family, are they-“

“Your family is fine. I just switched out with an officer. I had been watching Laura which is why I couldn’t go with Stiles. They sent the replacement so I could meet up with him, but he’s not answering his radio.”

Derek was relieved that his family was alright, but so scared for Stiles. If Kate really was back and after him, she would go for those he cared for the most. If she was the one leaving notes, she would tell him where she had Stiles so she could kill him in front of Derek, just like she promised to do to his family in the court room.

“I have to find him.” Derek said before he got up and left the station. His words and actions left no room for argument; he even left so quickly that Parrish couldn’t catch up. When he got to his car, he found a note on the driver’s seat. He drove away so he wouldn’t be disturbed when reading it. For some reason he felt like involving the police in this would end poorly for Stiles. He opened the letter and it read:

> _“It is a curious thing, the death of a loved one. We all know that our time in this world is limited, and that eventually all of us will end up underneath some sheet, never to wake up. And yet it is always a surprise when it happens to someone we know. It is like walking up the stairs to your bedroom in the dark and thinking there is one more stair than there is. Your foot falls down, through the air, and there is a sickly moment of dark surprise as you try and readjust the way you thought of things.”_

Bellow the quote was an address and the words, “One of us will end up underneath a sheet. You decide who.” Derek’s gut clenched. He would do whatever it took to get Stiles out of there, but he wasn’t sure he could kill another person. Jennifer had been instinct- self-preservation. Paige had been… something else. Could he go to this location with the intention of killing Kate?

He remembered the feeling of freedom after Jennifer was finally gone for good and he made up his mind. He drove to Stiles house and got the gun out of the bedside drawer and he took off to the place where Kate was holding the man he loved. She was going to regret even thinking of breaking out of that prison.


	6. Kate Argent

Derek pulled up to the given address which turned out to be an abandoned train depot. He ended up stopping a ways away because he didn’t want Kate to know he was coming. Granted, she asked him to meet her there, but she wouldn’t know when he was coming. He had Stiles’ gun tucked safely in the back of his pants. This wasn’t the ideal way to carry a gun, but he didn’t have a holster, and this is what the people in movies always did, so that’s what he was doing. He didn’t want to go in guns blazing because he didn’t want to hurt Stiles. He also thought Kate deserved a worse punishment than the quick death the gun would provide.

The only light provided in the old depot was what came through the slats in the boarded-up windows. Derek crept through the shadows looking for his target. The coppery smell of blood hit him before he saw anything. That smell had his heart pounding in his chest. Was that Stiles’ blood, or did he get a few good hits in and made that bitch bleed? God, he hoped it was Kate’s blood.

He rounded the corner and what he saw shocked him. Stiles was on the ground nursing what looked to be a pretty gnarly head injury, but Kate was tied to a chair and was much more bloody than Stiles was.

“Derek, thank god!” Stiles gasped, “Did you bring anyone else with you?” Derek shook his head. He didn’t know how to communicate how wrong involving the police felt without sounding like a crazy person. “It’s okay, I managed to subdue her after I tracked her down, but my radio got damaged in the fight and I don’t know what happened to my phone.”

“I’m not going to call for backup.” Derek managed to say as he stepped farther into the room and closer to Kate, “Stiles, look away.”

Derek didn’t look back to see if his instructions were being followed. Right now he only had eyes for the one who ruined his life so completely. He noticed that not only was Kate tied to the chair, but she was also gagged.

He removed the gag and asked, “What do you have to say for yourself?”

“Derek, he’s crazy!” Kate sobbed. Derek had never seen a more pathetic sight in his life. Derek slapped her across the face and the sound of it echoed in the empty room.

“You don’t talk about him like that.” Derek growled, “You don’t talk about him at all. He’s not the crazy one, you are. You tried to kill me and my entire family. You manipulated me into having sex with you while I was still a minor. You are the crazy one. All he’s ever done is protect me and love me!” He slapped her again, harder this time.

Derek stepped back and looked at Kate. It looked like she had been here for a while. Her hair was unwashed and she was covered in dried blood. The Kate he knew was all about appearances and would never have let herself reach this low. She also looked as though she hadn’t eaten in days and her voice was raspy, likely from a lack of water. He smirked to himself, a plan solidifying in his mind. He knelt down and untied the ropes keeping Kate tied up. He knew in her physical state she wouldn’t be able to do much against him.

He stood and said, “This is your chance. Run.” And Kate did just that. She shot up out of the chair and ran for the exit, but would never reach her target.

Derek shot her left kneecap, “That’s for raping me.” He shot her right kneecap, “That for trying to kill me family.” He moved so he was standing over her. She was stuck lying on her belly, trying to army crawl away from him, “And this is for daring to come back.” He shot her in the back, right in her stomach in order to make her death more drawn out than it needed to be. The physical pain she was experience was nowhere near the emotional pain she put him through, but it felt freeing giving her back at least some of what she caused.

Once this was done, he remembered he was not the only one in the room. He turned around to see Stiles standing behind him and staring at him in awe.

“You did it.” Stiles whispered, “I had hoped, but you finally did it!” Stiles stepped forward and enveloped Derek in a big hug, “I knew you could do it.” He whispered in Derek’s ear before kissing him. The kiss had a tang of copper to it because Stiles still had blood on his face, but for some reason it only made the kiss better because it mixed so well with the taste of Stiles!

“I love you so much.” Stiles said when they broke apart, “Did you mean what you said to her about me?”

“Do you even have to ask?” Derek kissed him again, “You are not crazy, you are beautiful. I love you and I will always protect you… not that you need it, admirer.” Stiles smirked back at him.

“When did you figure it out?” He asked.

“I had my suspicions, but Kate’s everything when I got here sealed the deal.”

“It doesn’t… turn you off?” He could tell Stiles was nervous about this reveal.

“If anything, it’s a turn on. All of it.” Derek added the last part to try and reassure Stiles. He loved the other man so madly that he would go to the ends of the earth for him and he knew Stiles would do the same for him. There was nothing that could tear them away from each other.

“We are going to have to call this in, though.” Derek said, “I tried to stage it the best I could, but I think you’ll do better planning the whole cover story.”

Stiles smirked, “I’m great at cover stories.”

Derek flashed back to whatever that was with Jennifer and thought Stiles was absolutely true, cover stories were his sweet spot. Derek was so lucky to have such a clever, passionate man by his side. He certainly didn’t want Stiles as an enemy, that would be a death sentence for sure.

Once they got their story straight and Kate was dead, Stiles turned his phone on and called Parrish who brought probably half the station with him to get statements and examine the crime scene. The story they went with was that Kate had kidnapped Stiles and threated to kill him if Derek involved the police. He brought Stiles gun for protection but hadn’t wanted to use it. Kate had been it pretty bad shape, probably from a previous altercation with Jennifer, her partner in crime. When Kate went to “deal with” Stiles, Derek shot the gun three times out of instinct. His first priority was making sure Stiles was okay, which is why it took so long for either of them to call for back up. Nothing at the scene contradicted their testimony, so they were released to go home.

Derek called his parents to update them and to tell them he would be staying with Stiles. They insisted that both Stiles and Derek have breakfast with them the next day so that they can make sure both of them were alright. He was glad that his parents had taken to Stiles so quickly. He knew the other man didn’t have much of a family and his “brother” seemed less than supportive of Stiles. He knew his parents would welcome him in and be the parents he was robbed of. That thought made Derek inexplicably happy.

When they got back to Stiles’ house, they both got in the shower to wash off the blood and grime of the train depot and to thoroughly enjoy each other in the adrenaline-fueled aftermath. They ended up falling into bed happy and sated. Derek had never felt so light and so free. He was never letting Stiles go.

He looked at Stiles, dosing in his arms. He kissed the man on his temple and whispered:

_“There is nothing on earth more beautiful to me than your smile...no sound sweeter than your laughter...no pleasure greater than holding you in my arms. I realized today that I could never live without you, stubborn little hellion that you are. In this life and the next, you’re my only hope of happiness. Tell me, Stiles, dearest love...how can you have reached so far inside my heart?”_

Stiles smiled and snuggled more into Derek and mumbled:

_“In this part of the story I am the one who dies,_

_the only one, and I will die of love because I love you,  
_

_because I love you, Love, in fire and in blood.”_


	7. Stiles Stilinski

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles' perspective on his seduction of Derek Hale

Stiles woke up to a weight behind him. He turned around and saw Derek was still sleeping. The sight made him smile. He looked so peaceful like this; there were no worries in sleep. However, Stiles liked to think this peace came from the gift Stiles gave him.

As he looked at Derek’s sleeping form, he remembered the first time he saw the man. It was a little over a month ago, just after Stiles moved to Beacon Hills. He had been at the library, looking for an audio book for a stake out he and Parrish had that night. Derek was behind the desk and checked him out. And Stiles definitely checked him out right back. Derek was less than an inch taller than Stiles, had the most beautiful green/brown/gold eyes Stiles had ever seen and absolutely perfect stubble. While he was being checked out a blonde, bombshell of a librarian came out of the back office and said, “Hey, Hale, would you rather stay at the counter or shelve books?”

“Shelve books. My answer is always shelve books, Erica.” Then he turned his attention back to his task, “This will be due three weeks from today. Have a nice day.”

Stiles was in love. Granted, he always fell hard and fast, but Derek seemed out of this world perfect. After he got home, he searched “Beacon Hills Hale” online and found a few articles about the hot librarian when he was younger. The most recent was about how he was almost the victim of a con artist. This was more a gossip column than an article, though so Stiles moved on quickly. 

The next was about a seventeen-year-old Derek testifying against his twenty-five-year-old ex-girlfriend who tried to burn his family alive. That one certainly was an interesting read. He opened a new tab and started looking up any information he could about this Kate Argent person. He couldn’t understand why she would do something so horrible to someone so wonderful, and to take advantage of him when he was a minor! He was going to make sure justice was done.

The oldest article was about a car accident. Derek had just gotten his license and was taking his girlfriend, Paige, out on a date. They ended up wrapped around a pole. Sources said that Paige was alive after the initial accident, but that Derek killed her before paramedics arrived. This was very interesting to Stiles. He found every article on the accident as he could and even asked around town for their opinions on what he learned about the man. 

The more he learned about Derek the more in love with him he fell. The information about Paige just sealed the deal. Derek was like Stiles! He wasn’t like Lydia who freaked out when she saw who Stiles really was. Derek would be able to help Stiles on his quest to protect the innocent and he knew just how to make Derek see things his way.

He started by reading anything and everything he could and taking extensive notes on quotes that made him think of Derek. He also got in contact with a friend of his at the prison and arranged a “misplacement” of a certain inmate and contacted a different friend on the other side of the law for the whereabouts of a certain grifter. It ended up being much easier to arrange than he thought and before he knew it, he was planting the first letter in the library break room and waiting in the stacks for Derek to stumble upon him.

The hardest part of his plan, it turned out, had been waiting to make contact with Derek before everything was ready. He went to the library frequently and he saw how the women and men in town fawned over Derek and he saw how uncomfortable that made him feel. He knew that to make Derek fall for him, Derek would have to make the first move. Unfortunately, during his watching and waiting, he had to witness that blonde librarian, Erica, step in and shoo the admirers who couldn’t take no for an answer away. He knew the woman was engaged, but he didn’t like the way she acted as though she was the only one worthy of Derek’s attention. It seemed to him that Erica wanted more with Derek, and he couldn’t have that.

And so, for a month he had watched and waited. He befriended Parrish and the other deputies at work, he even invited them over for meals. He used his time building peoples trust so he wouldn’t be questioned later on. This was also hard because Stiles didn’t like most people, but it was the best way to protect both himself and Derek once everything went down. And finally, it went down.

It went even better than he could have imagined. Despite Derek not giving him a second look the first time they met, he was stumbling over himself and blushing like an idiot. He even intentionally bent down to show off his ass to Stiles! It was amazing! Someone as perfect as Derek actually wanted to be with someone as gangly and weird as Stiles!

The second note was just as easy to plant as the first but taking down Erica proved to be more of a challenge. It turned out she was a fighter. He had respect for fighters, but it made his job a lot harder than it needed to be. He finally got her into his basement and let out all his feeling about the flirts in the town on her.

More than once she asked, “Why are you doing this?” Well, sobbed more than asked, but Stiles response was always the same, “For Derek.” Every stroke or plunge of his knife was for Derek.

He sedated her and cleaned himself up for his date and it was marvelous. Conversation between the two of them flowed so easily and as the night progressed, he could see Derek relax. It was obvious he didn’t let many people in, and considering his past, Stiles understood. He was just honored to be on the short list of people Derek wanted to spend time with. At the end of the night, Derek even confided in him about the notes he’d received the past two days.

Getting Erica onto Derek’s front step turned out to be a problem. His neighbors were close, so he had to wait until the middle of the night. Thankfully, he had practice being silent and it was a blessing none of the neighbors had pets who would alert their owners to the strange behavior happening outside. He also managed to place the note without getting any blood on it! Now he just had to hope it would stay that way for a few more hours, Erica certainly was a bleeder.

The next morning, he and Parrish were the first ones to respond to the call. To say Derek’s reaction to Erica’s murder was a disappointment would be an understatement. He thought the man would be relieved to be ride of the burden, but instead he was genuinely distraught. Maybe the picture Stiles had in his head of who Derek was was completely wrong. The only good thing that came out of it was how much Derek was leaning into Stiles now and depending on him. He sent Derek to spend the day with his family with the promise of a date later that day.

Stiles arrived early to the ice cream shop with his third letter in hand. He walked inside and there was a very sweet looking young women working behind the counter.

“Excuse me, I’m sorry,” Stiles started, “This might seem like a weird request, but I love leaving my boyfriend random notes for him to find. You know, just to brighten his day. He’s going to be here soon. We’re going to get some ice cream and walk in the park!” Stiles added a goofy smile to try and sell it. In all honesty he hated people knowing his business, but this needed to be done, “Anyway, I was wondering if after we left if you could put this on the windshield of his car? It’s a black camaro.”

“OMG! Of course I will! This is the cutest story I have ever heard! You are an amazing boyfriend, he is so lucky.”

“I’m the luck one.” He handed her the letter and went back to his car to wait for Derek. It wasn’t long until he showed up and again, the date was amazing. And afterwards the note had the desired effect; Derek was going to be spending the night with Stiles.

Now came the part of the plan Stiles hated: drugging Derek. It was the only way he could get Julia, or Jennifer or whatever, out of the basement without Derek being suspicious. He put some of the sedative in Derek’s tea, but then immediately regretted it when they started making out. It was clear they both wanted it to go further, but Stiles knew they couldn’t do that because Derek would be knocked out soon. He managed to steer them into the bedroom and to the bed before Derek was unconscious, which ended up being really lucky because now Stiles didn’t have to lug him over there. He made sure the gun was in place and hooked Derek up to an IV drip that would keep him under. Stiles just had to make sure he undid it before he unleashed Jennifer.

Things went smoothly from there. The station picked up the trail leading to Jennifer and it became an all-nighter ordeal for him and Parrish. Twenty-four hours later he unhooked Derek from the IV, left the basement door open a crack, and made sure Jennifer’s bindings were loose. He also made sure to stop by Derek’s home and leave a note for him there, just so that he knew this wasn’t over. About an hour later he got a call from Derek. Not long after that he showed up to his home to find Derek had killed the woman who tried to con him.

Derek went back to the station with him and his parents met them there. They insisted on taking Derek home until this was all over and that did not sit well with Stiles. He was supposed to continue staying with Stiles so they could keep building their connection. He was supposed to find the note while packing and then curl up next to Stiles later that night, trying to figure out what was going on. Now he would have to find a way into the Hale house without him looking suspicious or clingy. 

That night he ended up parking a little ways down there drive way; not too far that it would look suspicious in the morning, but not so close as to wake anyone up with the noise of the engine. To his surprise, Derek barely questioned why Stiles was there. It was also shocking that Derek didn’t mention the note he found even though Stiles saw him reading it. That was okay, though. Derek had a lot to process through and it’s not like he wanted them to be codependent. He knew Derek would talk to him when he was ready. The last surprise of the night ended up being a really pleasant one as they finished what they had started the night before.

The next morning, Mrs. Hale invited him to stay for breakfast. It was easy to win them over and he found he liked their company. While he loved growing up with Mama McCall, it was nice to have parental figures in his life that didn’t look at him with pity or like he was broken. They initially bonded over their love for Derek, but found he and Mr. Hale like the same sports teams and he shares a love of baking with Mrs. Hale. Needless to say, if this all worked out, he stood to gain a lot more than just Derek.

This was a very important day, though, because this was the day he would play his final move: Kate Argent. When he got in his cruiser, he texted his friend at the prison that it was time to release the information. By the time he changed and got pushed out the door by Derek, the station was already in full swing. It was about an hour later that a shell-shocked Derek came through the station doors. 

After calming him down and getting him set up in the break room, Stiles put the final phases of his plan into motion. He checked the guard schedule and saw Parrish was watching Laura. He let one of the uniformed officers know he was going to follow a lead and then went to go see Kate. He made sure to disable anything that could be tracked before leaving and he used a copy of the camaro key to leave the last note on Derek’s seat and then he was off.

He had Kate tied up in an abandoned train depot. There was nothing special about it except that it was out of the way and, well, abandoned. He didn’t know how long it would take for Derek to get here and he had to make it look good. He walked up to the side of one of the train cars and slammed his head against it a couple of times. He knew he had a concussion and he could feel blood dripping from an open wound. 

He turned and looked at Kate with a toothy smile, “And now, we wait.” He said as he slumped down onto the ground.

It took a few hours for Derek to show up and it was a fight for Stiles to stay awake, but once the other man was there Stiles was attentive to everything he did. Even when Derek asked him to look away, he couldn’t bring himself to. Seeing Derek take his revenge was so beautiful, just like he’d dreamed it would be. He was even more elated when he told him that he knew he was the admirer. 

And now, Stiles had him in his bed, all to himself. Their story was airtight so now no one stood in the way of being together. They were both truly free. Stiles had been so lost in thought that he didn’t notice Derek waking up.

“What are you thinking about?” Came a sleepy mumble from the man he loved.

“Just about how lucky I am to be with you.”

Derek pulled him in for a chaste kiss. Yeah, it took a lot of work to get them here, but it was all worth it.


	8. Epilouge

Derek was so happy; a year ago today he met the love of his life and today he was going to finally give Stiles everything he gave him a year ago. A month ago, Stiles had to go out of town to track down a witness for a case and it was then he put his plan into action. Since his return, Stiles was banished from the basement. He was extremely curious about what Derek was doing down there, but every time he asked about it, he would just get a “soon” in response. He could tell it annoyed Stiles to no end.

But thankfully today would be the end of his frustrations. Stiles came home, exhausted from the double shift at work. Derek encouraged him into a relaxing bath and laid out some clothes for him. Once Stiles was done and dressed, Derek asked, “Wanna go in the basement?”

Stiles face lit up. He knew Derek had been working on something special for him down there and tonight he was finally going to see what it was. Derek unlocked the door and led him down the stairs and turned on the light. Once the room was illuminated, Stiles saw his brother, Scott, tied down to the table and there were clean tools sitting on the work bench.

“Derek, what is all this?” Stiles whispered.

“Last year, you gave me such wonderful gifts, but Scott here showed up and tried to turn me against you. Since then he’ll show up when you’re gone, begging me to ‘get you help.’ He wants to separate us. So, I thought I’d give you a gift like you gave me. Give you your chance at freedom.”

Stiles’ eyes were tearing up, “I love you so much, Derek. I think this is the perfect time to give you my anniversary gift.” Stiles got down on one knee,

> _"If I had the gift of poetry, I would shower you with sonnets. But words have always been difficult for me when my feelings are strongest. And there is one word in particular that I can't bring myself to say to you...'goodbye'. I couldn't bear the sight of you walking away from me. If you won't marry me for the sake of your honor, then do it for the sake of everyone who would have to tolerate me otherwise. Marry me because I need someone who will help me to laugh at myself. Because someone has to teach me how to whistle. Marry me, Derek...because I have the most irresistible fascination for your ears.”_

Derek laughed at the ridiculous proposal quote Stiles had used, but it was so _them_! Derek quoted in response,

> _“I promise to stand by you, to hold you up when you’re about to fall, and to always keep you safe. I never believed there was a girl out there for me. Until I met you. You changed everything. And I never want to live without you. I love you more than I ever thought possible.”_

Stiles stood and kissed his new fiancé, “Now to open the wonderful gift you gave me!” Stiles smiled. He looked over the tools Derek had laid out and picked up a large, claw shaped blade, “This is unique. I don’t think I’ve seen it before.”

“I made that one myself, so it shouldn’t be traceable,” Derek explained, “It will make the cuts look like a mountain lion of coyote killed him.”

“Guess I’m not the only one who can come up with a good cover story.” Stiles gave Derek another peck on the lips before facing his brother, “You should have stopped after Lydia. You only have yourself to blame for what’s about to happen. No one gets between Derek and me.”

Derek looked at his fiancé while he worked. It was a bloody affair and the cleanup would be a bitch, but it would be worth it. Stiles had given him a chance to turn his repressed anger into constructive anger and eventually freedom and now he had given Stiles that same chance. Stiles’ cuts were so artful and beautiful, he could watch Stiles like this forever. He walked up behind him and wrapped his arms around Stiles’ waist while he worked.

He saw the fear, pain, and sadness in Scott’s eyes as Stiles cut into him with the custom blade. The look reminded him of the look on Paige’s face during the accident. That had all been her fault just like this was Scott’s fault. Derek had picked up Paige for their date, but on their way to the miniature golf course she broke up with him. It had been so heartless and so abrupt that the shock of it caused Derek to run into the pole. Paige hadn’t been wearing her seat belt (probably for a quick exit) so she went flying. When he got out of the car and got to her, she was still alive, begging for Derek to call for help, as if she hadn’t just torn his heart out. Derek spotted a nearby piece of the car and impaled Paige with it.

In the immediate aftermath, he was ashamed of what he had done because he knew it was wrong to kill people, but he soon realized the shame was not his own, but was what those around him were feeling and it was what he should have been feeling. He was able to convince himself that he was ashamed and that it was a mercy killing, but Stiles brought out his true self. Looking into Scott’s sad, scared eyes brought back the initial feeling of apathy. He placed a kiss on Stiles’ bloody shoulder and he knew he was finally home.


End file.
